Publix Closes, CAU Students, Community React
By: Anastasia Semien
Issue date: 2/2/10 Section: News
"Freshmen aren't allowed to have vehicles on our campus so they're basically in a rough situation. So we decided to start up this shuttle bus thing going to Wal-Mart, mainly targeting the Freshmen Class," James said.
Students can call (845) 536- 3241 or (845) 825- 3980 for more information.
Evans said that besides the complications that this store closing will have for this campus, it will also complicate the lives of the residents of the surrounding community. "I think the community is going to be outraged because this is an urban area and a lot of people probably don't have transportation to make it back and forth to Wal-Mart or Target or another Publix in another area," he said.
"A lot of people need Publix here," he added.
The community indeed became heated when they learned of Publix's closing. The Atlanta Coalition for the Preservation of the Westside Village held rallies and meetings to try to rectify the situation.
Community activist and organizer Byron Amos said, "I think that our communities have been a better friend to Publix than they are attempting to be to us right now."
CAU senior and Publix employee Erica Williams feels slightly different about the untimely closing.
"I think they did the best that they could under the time constraints that they had," said Williams, who is a Mass Media Arts major.
"From a business standpoint, it was all about the numbers. We lost $600,000 last year," she said. Theft was the majority of that loss she also said.
Although many residents feel that this closing was sudden, Williams said that locally employees did not know about it much earlier either. "They [store management] didn't get the hearing until we got it, and when we got it was a month before corporate decided to close," she said.
Williams also said that there was a "mass firing" before the store closed and the rest of the employees were reassigned.
Williams was reassigned to the Publix on Howell Mill Road and does not have a car. For the other four reassigned college students, two of them share her same fate. She said that it takes her and hour and a half to get to work now.
"I have to get on the train at Ashby, then go to Five Points, catch the north train to Midtown and then wait for the bus from there to get all the way to Howell Mill. And there's only really two buses that go that direction," she said.
Even with her frustration about her new location, this two-year Publix employee thinks that things were handled relatively well. "Overall I think it wasn't bad," Williams said.
She could not confirm who will be buying the vacant store and said that there were no serious buyers by the time she was reassigned.
Students can call (845) 536- 3241 or (845) 825- 3980 for more information.
Evans said that besides the complications that this store closing will have for this campus, it will also complicate the lives of the residents of the surrounding community. "I think the community is going to be outraged because this is an urban area and a lot of people probably don't have transportation to make it back and forth to Wal-Mart or Target or another Publix in another area," he said.
"A lot of people need Publix here," he added.
The community indeed became heated when they learned of Publix's closing. The Atlanta Coalition for the Preservation of the Westside Village held rallies and meetings to try to rectify the situation.
Community activist and organizer Byron Amos said, "I think that our communities have been a better friend to Publix than they are attempting to be to us right now."
CAU senior and Publix employee Erica Williams feels slightly different about the untimely closing.
"I think they did the best that they could under the time constraints that they had," said Williams, who is a Mass Media Arts major.
"From a business standpoint, it was all about the numbers. We lost $600,000 last year," she said. Theft was the majority of that loss she also said.
Although many residents feel that this closing was sudden, Williams said that locally employees did not know about it much earlier either. "They [store management] didn't get the hearing until we got it, and when we got it was a month before corporate decided to close," she said.
Williams also said that there was a "mass firing" before the store closed and the rest of the employees were reassigned.
Williams was reassigned to the Publix on Howell Mill Road and does not have a car. For the other four reassigned college students, two of them share her same fate. She said that it takes her and hour and a half to get to work now.
"I have to get on the train at Ashby, then go to Five Points, catch the north train to Midtown and then wait for the bus from there to get all the way to Howell Mill. And there's only really two buses that go that direction," she said.
Even with her frustration about her new location, this two-year Publix employee thinks that things were handled relatively well. "Overall I think it wasn't bad," Williams said.
She could not confirm who will be buying the vacant store and said that there were no serious buyers by the time she was reassigned.
